Balaji PB Photography

Cattle Egret
Bubulcus ibis
Palladam Puliampatti, Tamilnadu

The cattle egret (Bubulcus ibis) is a cosmopolitan species of heron (family Ardeidae) found in the tropics, subtropics, and warm-temperate zones.

Originally native to parts of Asia, Africa, and Europe, it has undergone a rapid expansion in its distribution and successfully colonised much of the rest of the world in the last century.

Nesting in northern India begins with the onset of monsoons in May.

The nest is a small, untidy platform of sticks in a tree or shrub constructed by both parents. Sticks are collected by the male and arranged by the female, and stick-stealing is rife.

The clutch size can be one to five eggs, although three or four is most common.

Information source: Wikipedia

Common Green Magpie
Cissa chinensis
Bhimtal pachai, Uttrakhand

The common green magpie (Cissa chinensis) is a member of the crow family, roughly about the size of the Eurasian jay or slightly smaller.

It is found from the lower Himalayas in north eastern India in a broad south easterly band down into central Thailand, Malaysia, Sumatra and northwestern Borneo in evergreen forest (including bamboo forest), clearings and scrub.

This bird seeks food both on the ground and in trees, and takes a very high percentage of animal prey from countless invertebrates, small reptiles, mammals and young birds and eggs. It will also take flesh from a recently killed carcass.

The nest is built in trees, large shrubs and often in tangles of various climbing vines. There are usually 4–6 eggs laid.

Information source: Wikipedia

Golden Bush Robin (male)
Tarsiger chrysaeus
Mandal, Uttrakhand

The golden bush robin (Tarsiger chrysaeus) or golden bush-robin was first discovered in 1845 by Brian Houghton Hodgson, a British naturalist.

Their habitat is dispersed around the Himalayan mountain range and surrounding highlands of Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Tibet, and Thailand living mainly in open areas with temperate forests, bamboo forests, grassland, and shrubland.

Golden bush robins display rare cases of exploiting human disturbance in their primary temperate forest habitat. This behavior is likely a modification of pre-existing dietary habits as human disturbance continues to exploit natural resources in the area.

Golden bush robins are insectivorous and focus their hunts on insects closer to the ground.

The breeding season for golden bush robins is from May to June. The female birds tend to lay 3 or 4 eggs and their incubation period is 14 or 15 days. The nests consist of compacted moss and grass that is lined with hair, wool, and feathers. The lifespan of a golden bush robin is around 3.8 years.

Information source: Wikipedia